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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · ground · saw · trunk · drill · foot · mark · spell

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mark — a trace
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. ground — the earth
  7. spell — magic
  8. drill — army training
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. drill — the tool
  12. foot — a measure
  13. spell — letters
  14. ground — crushed
  15. degree — an amount
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ground — a position
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. drill — a practice
  20. saw — the tool
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mark — a grade
  23. degree — from a university
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com